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Recap: Dynamo vs. SKC 7/18

Dynamo Starting 11: Sietz, Fuenmayor, Beasley(C), Machado, Senderos, Ceren, B. Garcia, Elis, Quioto, Martinez, Manotas
Dynamo Subs Used: Leonardo in for Senderos(65th), M. Rodriguez in for Quioto(73rd), Alexander for B. Garcia(76th)
Sporting KC Starting 11: Melia, Sinovic, Amor, Zusi, Smith, Russell, Espinoza(C), Fernandes, Sanchez, Rubio, Salloi
Sporting KC Subs Used: Lindsey for Sinovic(64th), Gutierrez for Rubio(70th), Croizet for Fernandes(74th)

First Half

This game was pretty all over the place and that was how the game started. Houston immediately came out attacking, with Monatos getting an open shot on goal 1st minute. Houston earned two corners and seemed poised to score quick, but in that fervor for a goal, the Dynamo overcommitted. SKC’s Fernandes wrestles the ball away from B. Garcia, arguably a fouling Garcia, then puts a pass through to Russell who runs the ball all the way downfield and hits the back of the net.

SKC 1 HOU 0

Quioto gets a yellow card in the 25th minute of the game, but this only seems to steal him up for a clutch performance ten minutes later. In that 35th minute, the Dynamo are awarded a free kick from right outside the arc. Romell Quioto takes the kick and hits the back of the net on a near perfect curling shot to the upper corner.

SKC 1 HOU 1

B. Garcia is given a yellow card in the 44th minute but even with the Dynamo sporting two yellows going into the half, the game was going to plan for Wilmer Cabrera. The Dynamo dominated possession in the first half and SKC definitely seemed to have their composure cracked after the Quioto goal.

Second Half

The second half started out a lot quieter, and a lot more back and forth. Though the Dynamo still seemed to have a firm grasp on the game. Monatos almost sinks a goal in the 62nd but ends up being bested by the goalkeeper 1 on 1. Shortly after that run, in the 65th minute, a lofted through ball from Ceren finds Quioto on the breakaway, Quioto faked out the goalkeeper and sunk the shot.

SKC 1 HOU 2

Just four minutes later Monatos makes almost the same as he did in the 62nd, that almost ends in a similar 1 on 1 defeat at the hands of the goalkeeper. But Monatos recovers the ball and manages to get it in the goal off of Graham Zusi’s leg.

SKC 1 HOU 3

After that goal, it was almost like SKC woke up and realized they were losing. And SKC took that realization seriously, pressing hard up the Dynamo’s half. Of course, there is a lot of credit to go around for the stout defense the Dynamo displayed against the league leaders but Fuenmayor stands out to me. During this push from SKC, there were two moments in the 77th and 78th minute where Fuenmayor had the tactical awareness to back up Sietz who was drawn off the goal by an attacker. I couldn’t find any highlights for this but without Fuenmayor being on the goal line to boot the ball away, there would have been at least one more SKC goal. With all that stellar defending came a yellow card for Fuenmayor in the 79th minute, but for the job he’d done, it was worth it. In the 88th minute, a simply beautiful sequence of passing from Elis to Rodriguez leads to a cross in from Rodriguez that finds the head of Monatos for his second goal of the night.

SKC 1 HOU 4

In the 93rd minute, SKC was counterattacking and Ceren performed an ill-advised slide tackle outside the box that lofted the ball over Sietz for an own goal.

Final Score: SKC 2 HOU 4

Which was embarrassing on some level, but all that is all overshadowed by the fact that the Dynamo will be going to the semi-final of the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2009. Before that happens though, they will be facing Dallas FC in the Texas Derby this Saturday so stay tuned for a preview on what should be a tense match.